Forget the Bat, Choose the Knee

U.S. workers spend on average 2.8 hours per week dealing with conflict, according to a recent Entrepreneur magazine article. That equates to approximately $359 billion in paid hours annually.

In addition, for 25 percent of workers, avoiding conflict leads to sickness or absence from work. Nearly 10 percent report that workplace conflict leads to project failure and more than one-third say that conflict results in someone leaving the company.

While these statistics showing the damage to U.S. business are startling, there’s a much bigger concern out there.

What is all this workplace conflict doing to the wellbeing of the people within your span of care? How can they even begin to find fulfillment in their work when unresolved conflict and turmoil is so rampant in the workplace? And ultimately what effect does this have on their families?

Respected author, speaker and good friend Srikumar Rao, PhD, recently had the opportunity to participate in Barry-Wehmiller’s Communication Skills Training and experienced firsthand how we encourage our team members to approach conflict in the workplace. Afterward, he wrote about his experience for Inc. magazine.

How are those in your span of care handling the conflict in their lives? How are you?